10 Best Tips for Living Alone (Challenges, Solutions, and Benefits)
Are you considering moving out of your parent’s home or school housing for the first time or getting your own place for other reasons? You are probably looking for tips for living alone because you are worried that you will feel lonely or afraid of being by yourself in a house. But you don’t have to feel this way.
Whether you are a woman or a man, living alone can be one of the best things you ever do for yourself. In this post, we shall give some tips on how to live alone and be okay with it. We will also list some benefits of living alone to motivate you to get your own place.
You don’t have to worry that you will feel lonely or afraid of being by yourself in a house or that you lack the skills required to survive while living alone.
Whether it is the first time or not, with the below tips for living alone as a woman or man, you will feel more than ready to rent, buy or build a place you can call home. But first, why is living alone difficult for many people?
Jump to a Section:
* Challenges of living alone
* Tips for living alone without feeling lonely or afraid
* Benefits of living alone
10 Challenges of Living Alone
It doesn’t matter if you want to start living alone for the first time or if you have done it before, staying by yourself can be hard.
So, before we go on to the tips for living alone, let’s first see some of the challenges you may experience when staying in a house or apartment by yourself.
Here are examples of the challenges of living alone;
- Loneliness and isolation
- Lack of housekeeping skills
- Financial difficulties
- No help when sick or if you get into an accident at home
- Boredom
- Trouble moving heavy or large things, for example, furniture, appliances, art, etc.
- Lack of motivation to cook for one and eat alone
- Vulnerability to security threats
- Parcel delivery timing issues
- Living alone becomes addictive; you may never want to share a home with others
Now that you know some of the challenges of living alone, do you still want to go ahead and get your own place? Hopefully, you are not discouraged to do it.
Since you know the reasons why living alone can be difficult, the next step is to find a way to solve or avoid these challenges.
Read on for some helpful tips for living alone, whether you are a woman or a man.
10 Tips for Living Alone without Feeling Lonely or Afraid
- Make security and safety a priority
If you want to start living alone, you must take your security and safety seriously, during the house-hunting process and even after finding an ideal place to live.
While looking for a place to rent, buy, or build your new home, consider the security in the neighborhood before choosing. For example, check the crime rate in the area as well as the street lighting and inside the place.
Some introverts and other people may desire a place they can live alone and off the grid. But it may not be a good idea to be living alone in the middle of nowhere.
Anything could happen to you, and no one would know. And if someone does know, it could take time for help to arrive.
Other security and safety tips for living alone as a woman or man include;
- Installing a complete alarm system for burglars and fire
- Changing the locks as soon as you move into a new apartment or house
- Keeping your home address private online
- Learning some self-defense moves
- Ensuring you lock the doors and close the windows and blinds/curtains at night or whenever you are out
- Being careful with the people you let into your home
- Getting a guard dog
- Coming home at a reasonable time
- Putting some self-defense tools in an easily accessible place, e.g., a baseball bat, pepper spray, or Taser
- Knowing who your neighbors are, etc.
- Stay in touch with family and friends
Just because you are living alone, it doesn’t mean you have to be isolated. It also doesn’t mean that since you are now independent, you no longer need to stay in touch with your friends and family.
In fact, this is when you need to communicate with your loved ones the most. Many things can happen to you while living alone; for example, getting sick, being kidnapped, or even dying.
Staying in touch with your family and friends is one of the most important things to do if you live alone.
Besides calls and texts, ensure your loved ones know where you live.
Constant communication with your family and friends will enable you to keep them updated about what is going on in your life, have people to talk to while home, and get assistance on time if you ever need it.
- Make good financial decisions
One of the challenges of living alone is that you may only have yourself to count on when it comes to finances. As such, you should eliminate the fear of running out of money by making better financial decisions and developing good money habits.
Some of the best money tips for living alone include improving your financial education, getting a well-paying, stable job, budgeting your money, saving a percentage of your income, spending wisely, and investing.
Making better financial decisions and living within your means will enable you to pay for needs, such as food, clothing, rent, and utilities. You will also set aside some money to spend on your wants without going broke.
READ ALSO: 10 Lessons Learned from Growing Up Poor
- Gain some basic skills
Are you afraid of living alone because you don’t know how to change a light bulb, clean, or cook? Don’t let these things hold you back.
Whether you are a woman or a man getting your own place for the first time, one of the best tips for living alone is to ensure you find a way to learn some basic housekeeping skills.
You could take a class, practice, read, or watch video tutorials on how to do various things around the house.
However, if you think you can’t do something alone, it is okay to call professionals for help.
- Do things that make you happy
Being alone for extended periods is not good. You may experience some of the challenges of living alone, such as feeling bored, anxious, sad, lonely, or isolated, and you could even become paranoid.
One of the best tips for living alone without feeling lonely or afraid is to do more things that make you happy. For instance, you can do your hobbies indoors or outdoors and decorate your home with stuff that matches your tastes and preferences.
Doing what makes you happy will improve your mental health and boost your creativity. You will not feel so isolated in your home if you find ways to stay busy and entertained while living alone.
READ ALSO:
* 12 Things to Do on Sunday to Prepare for a New Week
* No Weekend Plans? 20 Fun Things to Do on a Saturday Night or Day
- Invite people over regularly
Living alone doesn’t mean you always have to be by yourself while at home.
Now that you have your own place, having a say on who you spend time with at home and when they can come and leave is one of the benefits of living alone you can enjoy.
To stop feeling lonely or bored when living alone, you could regularly invite people over to your place. Throw parties, have sleepovers, or do any other fun activities together.
Whether it is your friends, family, romantic partners, colleagues, or neighbors, just ensure the people you let into your living space are trustworthy and that they bring positive energy into your home.
READ ALSO: 10 Signs of Negative Energy in Your Home (and How to Get Rid of It)
- Choose the right home size
Can you live alone in a big house? Or would you prefer a small one?
When looking for a place to live, choosing the size of home that suits you and your needs best is important.
If you are okay with living alone in a big house, go for it. If not, a smaller home may be ideal for someone who lives alone.
A small home is better for one person because it will most likely be less expensive, easy to clean and maintain, energy efficient, and feels cozy.
READ ALSO: 8 Signs You Are Ready to Buy a House
- Have spare keys
It is normal to misplace or lose your house keys. Since this may happen to you for some reason, it is best to be prepared if you live alone.
Having spare keys hidden or stored somewhere you can easily access as well as sharing a spare with a trusted friend or family member, are good tips for living alone as a woman or a man.
Spare keys will make it easy to get back into your house if you ever lock yourself out. They will spare you a night out in the cold and help you save the time it could have taken you to get a locksmith.
Remember to take back your spare key if you fall out with someone you had given it to.
READ ALSO: 8 Reasons Why You Should Cut Off Toxic People from Your Life (and How to Do It)
- Make friends in your neighborhood
Even though many adults struggle to make new friends, you need them.
One of the best tips for living alone without feeling lonely or isolated is to get to know the people around you better, including your neighbors, the landlord, and even local shop owners.
These people can help you in many ways when you live alone, from being good new friends and helping you stay updated on what is happening in your area to offering any other kind of help you may need someday.
When you can’t move heavy or large objects by yourself, people from your neighborhood can help you quickly. Similarly, if you are an extrovert who works from home, interacting with these people will help recharge your energy and alleviate loneliness and boredom.
- Take care of your health
One of the common challenges of living alone many people face is the lack of motivation to cook entire meals when they are the only ones to serve. Others also say that they let themselves go when living alone.
But whether you live alone or not, your health and well-being should always be top priorities in your life.
Some of the best tips for living alone to encourage you to take care of yourself include ensuring you go grocery shopping, practice self-care, cook and eat a balanced diet, exercise, and more.
Living alone shouldn’t be an excuse for poor hygiene or unhealthy eating habits.
READ ALSO: 10 Ways to Break Bad Habits and Form Good Ones
10 Benefits of Living Alone
- Independence and self-reliance
- Privacy
- Quiet time alone to focus on yourself or your work
- Your own space with things selected and placed according to your preferences
- Better personal finance management
- No need to share things like food, clothes, gadgets, or rooms
- Increased happiness and creativity
- Easier cooking and meal planning
- Things stay the way you leave them
- You only have to take care of and clean up after yourself
Wrapping Up
As you can see above, living alone doesn’t have to be a lonely and isolating experience. You now know the challenges you may experience having your own place, how to make living alone easier, and the benefits of staying by yourself.
What are you waiting for? Whether you’re a woman or a man, hopefully, the above tips for living alone have motivated you to go out and find a place to rent, buy a house, or start building your own home.
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Read more articles from Aisles of Life here.
Nice tips for loneliness people..
Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome. Thank you so much for reading!❤️